Padlock type marking seal and applicator for applying padlock type marking seals

ABSTRACT

A padlock type marking seal having a receiving body ( 2 ) with internal locking teeth ( 4 ) to receive the tip ( 9 ) of a loop of the seal that is integral with the body, and there being a marking tab ( 6 ) also integral with the body ( 1 ). In order to improve seal application, to ensure autopenetration into the material to be marked (e.g. meat), the tip is sharpened and there is a stop ( 11 ) on the loop, adjacent to and behind the tip so as to allow an applicator device to force the sharpened point to penetrate the material to be marked. The loop of the seal has a reduced thickness region defining a pivot point ( 8 ) with respect to the body, and the part ( 7 ) of the loop between the first end and the sharpened tip is substantially in the form of the arc of a circle. A reception cavity ( 3 ) in the body of the seal has an axis substantially tangential to the arc when the loop is pivoted about the pivot point, until its tip begins to enter said cavity. The applicator according to the invention is in the form of a pistol and is adapted to receive comb of seals. The applicator is operated pneumatically to: apply seals without the applicator element ( 39 ) having to penetrate the material to be marked; feed the next seal to the reception and application station ( 25 ); and cut the links ( 12 ) with the following seal before its application. The pistol is fired by a trigger and the operating sequence is controlled and effected by a remote control unit ( 15 ) comprising electronic control circuits (44) and pneumatic valves ( 16 ).

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to padlock type marking seals which areused to mark any type of material capable of being pierced by the tip ofthe seal lock. For example, cloth, live fish, cattle (through the ear),meat and the like may be marked using this type of seal.

BACKGROUND ART

There are two principal disadvantages encountered when using the sealsand applicators of the present state of the art:

Firstly, it is difficult to close the seals using mechanicalapplicators, due to the fact that there is normally only one pivot orfold point of the “loop” of the padlock, and the locking tip of the“loop” must enter the locking capsule in the body of the “padlock” in asubstantially linear manner. The shape of the seals known in the stateof the art is not very well adapted to operate in this way and there isa tendency, upon application of the seal, for it not to close properly.In addition to this, the marking operation becomes slow; and

Secondly, it is normally a needle portion of an applicator thatpenetrates the material to be marked, drawing the tip of the “loop” withit. This means that the applicator imposes design requirements which aredifficult to comply with when aiming for simplicity of operation. As aresult of this, mechanical applicators, as a rule, are not practical. Inthe majority of cases they can only be used for application of a singleseal, not being provided with means for carrying a number of seals, sothat multiple application of the seals at an accelerated rate can not becarried out.

Padlock seals for other purposes are known, such as that shown in U.S.Pat. No. 3,712,655 which discloses a security, tamper-proof having thegeneral appearance of a conventional padlock. The loop or hasp of thepadlock is flexible and generally hoop shaped terminating in a free endin the form of a snub nosed locking tip designed for being manuallyguided into a locking cavity in the body or base of the seal. Behind thelocking tip of the hasp there is a protuberance or enlargement formanual gripping at the time of inserting the tip in the locking cavity.

Applicator devices are also known for the type of tie seal that is usedfor fixing price is tags to garments or the like. An example is to befound in FR-A-2 540 069 which discloses a pistol having jaws into whicha loading mechanism inserts the locking tip at one end of the tie intoan outer end of one of the jaws and the locking cavity at the other endof the tieinto an outer end of the other jaw. Rotation of the jaws abouta fulcrum by means of a trigger mechanism forces the locking tiplinearly into the locking cavity, a price tag or the like and a part ofthe garment to which it is to be fixed being interposed between thejaws.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The principal objects of the present invention are to provide a padlocktype marking seal which is adapted to be easily applied and also toprovide a marking seal applicator that is practical, fast and, in thepreferred embodiment, capable of carrying “combs” of seals that can beapplied in sequence.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention a padlock typemarking seal comprises a body defining a cavity having an internallocking formation, a preformed loop having a first end integral with thebody and a second end in the form of a tip formed to cooperate with theinternal locking formation of the cavity, the loop being flexible so asto permit said tip to enter the cavity and to become locked in saidformation, and a marking tab integral with the body, there being a stopon the loop, adjacent to and behind said tip. The seal is characterisedin that:

the tip of the loop is sharpened so as to be capable of penetrating thematerial to be marked, the first end of the loop is connected to thebody by a region of reduced thickness to define a pivot point and thepart of the loop between the first end and the sharpened tip issubstantially in the form of an arc of a circle, the cavity having anaxis substantially tangential to said arc when the loop is pivoted aboutsaid pivot point until its tip begins to enter said cavity.

Preferably, said arc is substantially semicircular.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sharpened tipis in the form of a head connected to the rest of the loop by a neck,there being—in order to reinforce the tip and thereby prevent it fromflexing as it penetrates the material to be marked—a reinforcement inthe form of a connecting rib in the vicinity of the neck.

The advantage of the seal of the present invention lies in the factthat, when the sharpened tip of the seal is placed against the materialto be marked, pivoting of the loop causes the tip to enter the surfaceof the material almost rectilinearly, penetrating and then turninginside the material, in a way similar to a curved suture needle, finallyto exit from the same surface that it went into and then directly toenter the cavity of the seal to cooperate with the locking formation.

As in known seals, the locking formation is provided advantageously withone or more—normally three—internal teeth in said cavity. In this way,the reinforcement rib on the neck, between the sharpened tip and theremainder of the loop, can enter the space between two of these internallocking teeth in the cavity of the seal.

Apart from this, the stop behind the sharpened tip of the loop allows anapplicator device to be used, the forward point of which does not needto effect penetration of the material to be marked, simply following thesharpened tip of the seal, which is itself used to effect penetration.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a marking sealapplicator for applying padlock type marking seals in which the tip of apreformed loop of the seal is sharpened so as to penetrate the materialto be marked and, upon exiting the other side of the material, to enterinto a locking cavity of the seal, said applicator including a sealapplication and reception station, a seal applicator device at saidreception and application station for rotation about a pivot point andactuator means for inserting said tip into said locking cavity ischaracterised by comprising:

a feed guide defining a pathway for feeding a a series of interconnectedseals towards said reception and application station, a region of thereception and application station being open to the feed guide so as toenable a marking seal to pass from the guide into a reception andapplication position within said reception and application station;

a movable stop, displaceable between an open position, spaced from thereception and application station, and a seal application position inwhich the movable stop is located in said open region to align andsupport that portion of the seal defining said locking cavity; and

a first actuator, associated with the feed guide, for advancing thesealsincrementally along the guide towards the reception and applicationstation;

said actuator means comprising a second actuato, associated with saidmovable stop, for displacing said stop between said open and sealapplication positions, and a third actuator, associated with saidapplicator device, for imparting rotational motion thereto, between anopen seal position and a closed seal position, and for returning saidapplicator device to said open seal position;

said actuator device including an actuator element having an innercurved surface substantially corresponding to the shape of outer surfaceof said preformed loop of a seal located in the reception andapplication station, with the sharpened tip of the loop of the sealdirected away from the applicator device, the applicator devicecooperating with the loop so as to move together with the applicatorwhen it is rotated about the pivot point by said third actuator.

Preferably the first, second and third actuators comprise respectivefirst, second and third pnuematic cylinders with return springs. Theapplicator may also include a cutting mechanism, adjacent the openregion of the reception and application station, for cutting weakenedlinks between adjacent seals in said series, the cutting mechanism beingassociated with the second actuator so as to effect cuttingsimultaneously with displacement of said movable stop to the sealapplication position.

In the preferred embodiment, the applicator in the form of a pistol witha trigger for starting an operating sequence of the actuators has aremote control for controlling the application of pneumatic pressure tosaid cylinders and an electronic circuit programmed to open and closethe valves according to the actuator operation sequence, the circuitbeing activated by the trigger of the pistol. This sequence ofoperations occurs as follows:

a) the third actuator rotates the applicator device from its open sealposition into the closed seal position and soon after back to the openseal position;

b) the second actuator displaces the movable stop to said open position;

c) the first actuator acts to impel the seals in the feed guideincrementally towards the reception and application station; and

d) the second actuator displaces the movable stop) back to its sealapplication position.

The applicator pistol, according to the preferred embodiment of thisaspect of the invention, allows rapid application of marking seals inseries by pulling the trigger.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be described in greater detail, by way ofexample, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a marking seal according to a first aspect ofthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is a lateral view of the seal shown in FIG. 1, looking in thedirection of the arrow, S;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a comb of marking seals for use in theapplicator shown in FIGS. 4 to 6;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a marking seal applicator according to thepreferred embodiment of a second aspect of the invention, one half ofthe seal applicator having been removed to allow the interior of theapplicator to be seen and showing a comb of seals similar to thatillustrated in FIG. 3 with a first seal in position ready forapplication;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal central cross sectional view of a pneumaticcylinder used to advance the seals in the applicator of FIG. 4, as wellas of a pneumatic cylinder which actuates cutting pins and advances amovable stop to support the seals at the time of application;

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal central cross sectional view of a seal actuatorelement, including a pneumatic cylinder for operating the actuatorelement; and

FIG. 7 is a graph showing the sequence of operations of the actuatorsand respective pneumatic cylinders of the applicator shown in FIGS. 4and 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, a padlock type markingseal 1 comprises a body 2 defining a cavity 3 containing a lockingformation in the form of three internal teeth 4. A connection 5 joins arectangular marking tab 6 to the body.

A loop 7 of seal 1, of transverse circular cross-section, is joined tothe body at a first end 7 a by an elongated region of smaller thicknessthat defines a folding or pivoting area 8 and comprises a substantiallysemicircular loop portion. A sharpened tip in the form of a head 9 has aneck which is joined to the second end 7 b of the loop portion 7. Withthe object of ensuring that sharpened tip 9 does not flex, i.e. deflect,on penetrating the material to be marked, there is a rib 10 in the neckregion. As shown in FIG. 1, the loop 7 and tip 9 are spaced form theaxis 2 a of cavity 2.

To close the seal, a force is exerted on the loop portion 7 toward thecavity axis. This moves the loop portion 7 and tip 9 outwardly to aposition where the tip 9 enters cavity 3, the head catching behindlocking teeth 4 and becoming locked, thereby defining a closedconfiguration of the seal. It should be observed that in this closedposition rib 10 fits between two of the three locking teeth 4.

Slightly behind sharpened tip 9, at the end of the semicircular portion,there is a stop 11 in the shape of a barb to allow an applicator deviceto force sharpened tip 9 through the material to be marked, without anelement of the device itself having to be sharpened in order to carryout the penetrating operation.

FIG. 3 shows a “comb” of seals 1, identical to the seal shown in FIGS. 1and 2 with the exception that respective marking tabs 6 are joined toeach other by two weakened points 12. A comb of seals such as thatillustrated in FIG. 3 can be used with the applicator illustrated inFIGS. 4 to 6.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 to 6, an applicator according to a preferredembodiment of the second aspect of the present invention comprises apistol 13 having a trigger 14 and a programmed control unit 15 havingpneumatic valves 16 a, 16 b and 16 c.

Pistol 13 comprises a pistol mechanism housed in a chassis having twohalves 17 and 17′ joined together by screws. The pistol mechanismcomprises a seal feed guide 18, a feed actuator 19, a movable stop 20,cutting pins 21 (FIG. 5) to sever weakened points 12 between adjacentseals (see FIG. 3), an actuator 22 for movable stop 20 and cutting pins21, a seal applicator device 23 and an actuator 24 thereof.

Seal feed guide 18 receives the comb of seals 1 (FIG. 3), asillustrated, so that the seals can be fed towards a reception andapplication station 25. Feeding is carried out in incremental steps bymeans of feed actuator 19 which comprises a first pneumatic cylinder 26including a piston 27 having a feed arm 28 that enters between markingtabs 6 of the upper two seals on the comb, a yieldable ratchet 28 a thatenters between the second and third seals on the comb to prevent theseals from dropping back after feeding, and a return spring 29 forpiston 27. Pneumatic cylinder 26 is connected by a tube 30 to remotecontrol unit 15 and more specifically to pneumatic valve 16 a.

Movable stop 20 is integral with a plate 31, fixed to the end of the rodof a piston 32 of a second pneumatic cylinder 33 which forms actuator22. Cutting pins 21 also project from plate 31. Springs 34 positionedbetween plate 31 and cylinder 33 laterally separate movable stop 20 fromreception and application station 25 and cutting pins 21 from theircutting position. Cylinder 33 is connected by a tube 35 to pneumaticvalve 16 b in remote control unit 15 and, as will be described later, isnormally subject to pneumatic pressure in order to keep movable stop 20in the position illustrated. In such a position movable stop 20obstructs the base of reception and application station 25 with the body2 of the first seal 1 supported therein and ready for application.Movable stop 20 also restricts reception and application station 25 bothlaterally and in its forward region so as to ensure that the seal willnot move either laterally or forwards during application.

Seal applicator device 23 (FIG. 6) comprises a pair of parallel bars 23′pivotally linked at first ends to a piston rod 36 of a third pneumaticcylinder 37 which forms actuator 24. Second ends of bars 23′ arepivotally linked at two points 38 (laterally separated from each other)to a metal applicator element or cradle 39 in the form of an arc, thefree end of which is pivoted about points 40, fixed with respect tochassis 17, 17′ of the pistol. Cradle 39, having an internal surfacethat is semicircular in cross-section, receives loop 7 of seal 1 and theupper or forward point of the cradle abuts the rear surface of barbshaped stop 11 on the seal. The distance between fixed points 40 and theaxis of cavity 3 of seal 1 in the reception and application station issubstantially the same as the diameter of the semicircle described byloop 7 of the seal.

Thus, with a seal fed into reception and application station 25 asillustrated in FIG. 1, applying a pulse of compressed air to cylinder37, supplied by pneumatic valve 16 c and a tube 41, advances piston 36against a return spring 42 causing bars 23′ to move forward and rotatecradle 39 about a pivot axis corresponding to the line between fixedpoints 40. Such movement forces loop 7 of the seal in the reception andapplication station to pivot about its fold region 8, until tip 9 of theseal enters and becomes locked in cavity 3. It should be noted thatcradle 39 ensures the alignment of loop 7 with cavity 3 of the sealduring the closing operation, the position of body 2 of the seal beingdetermined by movable stop 20.

Operation of the marking seal applicator pistol is started by trigger 14which is connected by an electrical connection 43 to an electroniccircuit board 44 in programmed remote control unit 15. On pulling thetrigger, circuit board 44 activates pneumatic valves 16 a, 16 b and 16 c(these being connected to a supply of compressed air, not shown),according to the sequence of operations shown in FIG. 7, which are asfollows:

a) providing a pulse of compressed air from pneumatic valve 16 c tothird pneumatic cylinder 37—as described above—causing application(closing) of seal 1, imeadiately after which valve 16 c is closed andspring 42 returns applicator device 23 to its original, open seal,position;

b) closing second pneumatic valve 16 b, to cut off the supply ofpressure to second cylinder 33 of actuator 22 and thus allow springs 34to move movable stop 20 and cutting pins 21 away from reception andapplication station 25, thereby leaving the lower part of station 25free and open;

c) applying a pulse of compressed air, from first pneumatic valve 16 a,to first feed cylinder 26 which, by means of piston 27 and arm 28,advances the next seal 1 in feed guide 18 into position within receptionand application station 25. After this, return spring 29 returns bothpiston 27 and arm 28 to their initial positions ready for the next cycleto commence whilst ratchet 28 a ensures that the seals do not move backdown feed guide 18; and

d) once again opening second pneumatic valve 16 b thereby pressurizingsecond cylinder 33 and thus returning movable stop 20 back to itsinitial position. At the same time, cutting pins 21 return to theircutting positions thereby cutting weakened points 12 between the seal inreception and application station 25 and the adjacent seal which isstill in feed guide 18.

During use, immediately after applying the seal and termination of stepb) above, the pistol is moved away manually from the material beingmarked (a natural movement at this stage of the operation) and the seal,together with its marking tab 6, automatically leave the pistolpermitting the sequence to be continued with steps c) and d). It shouldbe noted that the free spaces between parallel bars 23′ of applicatordevice 23 and between fixed rotation points 40 allow the unobstructedremoval of the seal. On termination of the sequence a) to d) the pistolis already newly “armed” with the next seal in position for application.

It will be obvious that the marking seal applicator pistol describedabove, with reference to the attached drawings, permits the rapidapplication in series of as many seals as there are in the comb of sealscarried in the pistol.

The operation is extremely easy, without requiring physical force, andthe application is clean and reliable, thanks to the fact thatapplicator device 23 is not forced manually to penetrate the material tobe marked (remaining behind sharpened tip 9 of the seal) and that tip 9of the seal enters substantially rectilinearly into cavity 3. This is ofutmost importance when marking comestible products, particularly meat.Note that, for this reason, the front end or tip of cradle 39, ofapplicator device 23, is champhered so as not to not create anyinfluence on the material to be marked as it follows sharpened tip 9 ofthe seal.

The present invention is not limited to the preferred embodimentsillustrated in the drawings. Many variations will be evident to thoseskilled in the art and the scope of the invention should therefore belimited only by the terms and interpretation of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A padlock type marking seal, comprising: a bodydefining a locking cavity having an internal formation and a cavityaxis; a substantially arcuate preformed loop portion having a first endand a second end; a pivot portion weakened relative to said loop portionand connecting said first end of said loop portion to said body; a barbformed on said loop portion, said barb having a leading endsubstantially at said second end of said loop portion; and a sharppiercing tip integral with and extending tangentially beyond said secondend of said loop portion, said tip having a tip axis, and wherein saidtip is in the form of a head connected to said second end of said loopportion by a neck, there being a reinforcement in the form of aconnecting rib in the vicinity of said neck, said tip and said loopportion being spaced from said cavity axis; said pivot portionsupporting said loop portion and said tip in a seal open position remotefrom said cavity and for movement toward said cavity axis, in responseto force exerted on said barb toward said cavity axis, to a positionwhere said tip enters said cavity along said cavity axis.
 2. Markingseal applicator for applying padlock type marking seals in which a tipof a preformed loop of the seal is sharpened so as to penetrate thematerial to be marked and, upon exiting the other side of the material,to enter into a locking cavity of the seal, said applicator including aseal reception and application station, a seal applicator device at saidreception and application station for rotation about a pivot point, andactuator means for inserting said tip into said locking cavity, themarking seal applicator comprising: a feed guide defining a pathway forfeeding a series of interconnected seals toward said reception andapplication station, a region of the reception and application stationbeing open to the feed guide so as to enable a marking seal to pass fromthe guide into a reception and application position within saidreception and application station; a movable stop, displaceable betweenan open position, spaced from the reception and application station, anda seal application position in which the movable stop is located in saidopen region to align and support that portion of the seal defining saidlocking cavity; and a first actuator for advancing the sealsincrementally along the feed guide toward the reception and applicationstation, said actuator means comprising a second actuator for displacingsaid stop between said open and seal application positions, and a thirdactuator for imparting rotational motion thereto, between an open sealposition and a closed seal position, and for returning said applicatordevice to said open seal position; said applicator device including anactuator element having an inner curved surface adapted to substantiallycorrespond to a shape of an outer surface of said preformed loop of aseal located in the reception and application station, with thesharpened tip of the loop of the seal directed away from the applicatordevice, the applicator device adapted to cooperate with the loop so asto move together with the applicator when it is rotated about the pivotpoint by said third actuator.
 3. Marking seal applicator according toclaim 2, wherein said first, second and third actuators compriserespective first, second and third pneumatic cylinders with returnsprings.
 4. Marking seal applicator according to claim 3, wherein themarking seal applicator is in the form of a pistol with a trigger forstarting an operating sequence of said actuators.
 5. Marking sealapplicator according to claim 4, further comprising a remote controlunit, including pneumatic valves for controlling an application ofpneumatic pressure to said cylinders, and an electronic circuitprogrammed to open and close said valves according to said actuatoroperation sequence, the electronic circuit being activated by thetrigger of the pistol.
 6. Marking seal applicator according to claim 5,wherein said remote control unit is programmed so that, upon pullingsaid trigger, said operating sequence occurs as follows: (a) the thirdactuator rotates the applicator device from its open seal position intothe closed seal position and soon after back to the open seal position;(b) the second actuator displaces the movable stop to said openposition; (c) the first actuator acts to impel the seals in the feedguide incrementally toward the reception and application station; and(d) the second actuator displaces the movable stop back to its sealapplication position.
 7. Marking seal applicator device according toclaim 2, further comprising a cutting mechanism, adjacent said openregion of the reception and application station, for cutting weakenedlinks between adjacent seals in said series, the cutting mechanism beingoperable so as to effect cutting simultaneously with displacement ofsaid movable stop to the seal application position.
 8. A combination,comprising: a padlock type marking seal and a marking seal applicator,wherein said padlock type marking seal comprises: a body defining alocking cavity having an internal formation and a cavity axis; asubstantially arcuate preformed loop portion having a first end and asecond end; a pivot portion weakened relative to said loop portion andconnecting said first end of said loop portion to said body; a barbformed on said loop portion, said barb having a leading endsubstantially at said second end of said loop portion; and a sharppiercing tip integral with and extending tangentially beyond said secondend of said loop portion, said tip having a tip axis, said tip and saidloop portion being spaced from said cavity axis; said pivot portionsupporting said loop portion and said tip in a seal open position remotefrom said cavity and for movement toward said cavity axis, in responseto force exerted on said barb toward said cavity axis, to a positionwhere said tip enters said cavity along said cavity axis, and whereinsaid marking seal applicator comprises: a seal reception and applicationstation, a seal applicator device at said reception and applicationstation for rotation about a pivot point, and actuator means forinserting said tip into said locking cavity; a feed guide defining apathway for feeding a series of interconnected seals toward saidreception and application station, a region of the reception andapplication station being open to the feed guide so as to enable amarking seal to pass from the guide into a reception and applicationposition within said reception and application station; a movable stop,displaceable between an open position, spaced from the reception andapplication station, and a seal application position in which themovable stop is located in said open region to align and support thatportion of the seal defining said locking cavity; said actuator meanscomprising a first actuator for advancing the seals incrementally alongthe feed guide toward the reception and application station; a secondactuator for displacing said movable stop between said open and sealapplication positions; and a third actuator for imparting rotationalmotion to said applicator device, between an open seal position and aclosed seal position, and for returning said applicator device to saidopen seal position; said applicator device including an actuator elementhaving an inner curved surface substantially corresponding to a shape ofan outer surface of said preformed loop portion of a seal located in thereception and application station, with the sharp tip of the loop of theseal directed away from the applicator device, the applicator devicecooperating with the loop portion so as to move together with theapplicator when it is rotated about the pivot point by said thirdactuator.
 9. The combination according to claim 8, wherein said first,second and third actuators include respective firs second and thirdpneumatic cylinders with return springs.
 10. The combination accordingto claim 9, wherein the applicator is in the form of a pistol with atrigger for starting an operating sequence of said actuators.
 11. Thecombination according to claim 10, further comprising a remote controlunit including pneumatic valves for controlling an application ofpneumatic pressure to said cylinders, and an electronic circuitprogrammed to open and close said valves according to said actuatoroperation sequence, the electronic circuit being activated by thetrigger of the pistol.
 12. The combination according to claim 11,wherein said remote control unit is said trigger, said operatingsequence occurs as follows: (a) the third actuator rotates theapplicator device from its open seal position into the closed sealposition and soon after back to the open seal position; (b) the secondactuator displaces the movable stop to said open position; (c) the firstactuator acts to impel the seals in the feed guide incrementally towardthe reception and application station; and (d) the second actuatordisplaces the movable stop back to its seal application position. 13.The combination according to claim 8, further comprising a cuttingmechanism, adjacent said open region of the reception and applicationstation, for cutting weakened links between adjacent seals in saidseries, the cutting mechanism being controlled by the second actuator soas to effect cutting simultaneously with displacement of said movablestop to the seal application position.